WILDFO WLING A T SEA 83 



attempts at approaching some " hard fowl," a volley of pellets 

 and rifle bullets is discharged at the artful curres, when, lo ! and 

 behold, peaceful (too often otherwise disposed) fishermen may 

 be discerned in the distance, expostulating with frantic signals 

 at what they evidently consider a direct attempt at murder 

 on the high seas, and on coming within earshot are discovered 

 to be remonstrating, in language more forcible than refined, 

 against shooters in general and our party in particular. 

 These manoeuvres are repeated until many miles from home, 

 when the boat bears up and retraces her course, discovering 

 that great success has been achieved in one respect at 

 all events, viz., in thoroughly frightening every bird from 

 the neighbourhood; for now there remains only an odd 

 cripple or two, with a solitary " sprat -boy," * where in the 

 morning hundreds of birds had been visible. Even that 

 solitary and usually so tame old loon * will not have the 

 politeness to gratify the desires of the gentleman with 

 the Martini-Henry who thinks perhaps that, fisherman or 

 no fisherman, he would otherwise have distinguished him- 

 self. 



This trip may be a day's outing, but it cannot be called 

 sport, and its participators, in mitigation of the harm they 

 have done, argue that they will not be likely to revisit the 

 district for some time to come, when more birds will be sure 

 to have found their way back again. 



Assuming a party, such as described, chance upon a fairly 

 good gunning estuary for their so-called sport, the poor gunner 

 who may have been for days nursing for a shot will find 

 his ground so thoroughly upset that he will be compelled to 

 wait patiently for weeks before he can continue his shooting. 



The steam-launch party, after having scared away all the 

 fowl from the open water, are rarely contented to remain 

 there, but skirt the shore and poke up every creek capable 

 of receiving their draught of water, blazing at oxbirds, sand- 

 pipers, and every bag of bones encased in a feathered 

 skin. 



* Speckled diver. 



